By Philip Wafula, Ronald Seebe & Sam Caleb Opio
Kyabazinga William Gabula Nadiope IV last Saturday tied the knot with Ms Jovia Mutesi at Christ’s Cathedral, Bugembe in Jinja North City Division, after which they hosted their guests at a reception at the monarch’s Igenge Palace.
But while bars had a field day as its patrons followed proceedings on television sets, lodging facilities took a hit as most people didn’t return later in the night to engage in conjugal rights out of “respect” for the Kyabazinga and Inhebantu.
The head of traditional healers in the kingdom, Mr Patrick Mudungu, had earlier warned married couples in the monarchy against having sexual intercourse on the historic day.
Specifically, Mr Mudungu urged married couples to vacate their matrimonial beds on November 18, and sleep on the floor separately to avoid any temptation of getting intimate, warning that any such attempts by “errant couples” may result in “doom”.
“This is a precaution to all people that the spirits will be watching everyone on that night and those who will go against this, will experience a ‘change’ in their lives,” Mr Mudungu said in an interview with Daily Monitor prior to the wedding.
Instead, Mr Mudungu asked Kyabazinga’s subjects, especially married couples, to reflect on their different beliefs.
However, Ms Aidah Naigaga, who owns Naigaga Lodge in Namutumba Town Council, says the royal wedding night cost her over Shs300,000.
“All my rooms remained empty, men were seen in bars drinking the whole night until morning, but they obeyed Mr Mudungu’s directive,” Ms Naigaga said, adding “that that was my first time to see such a thing happening”.
She added: “Before the royal wedding day, I thought it was a joke, but started noticing it at 8pm when my routine customers were only drinking but not entering the lodge.”
Mr Ronnie Wampa, the manager of Dabada Lodge in Namutumba Town Council, says he even reduced prices but customers stayed away allegedly for fear of being “harmed” by the spirits Mr Mudungu talked about.
Mr Duncan Waiswa, the manager of Namugere Bar and Lodge, also in Namutumba Town Council, said he only got two customers, adding that overall, he made a loss of over Shs150,000 from lodges, but made money from drinks.
A lady who owns one of the lodges in Kamuli, but declined to be named, saying she doesn’t like being in the media spotlight, said she registered losses even after offering a discount in honour of the Kyabazinga.
Some of Kyabazinga’s subjects have told this Publication that they didn’t engage in conjugal rights for “fear of the wrath of the spirits”.
Mr Noah Muyinda, a resident of Kaiti Village, says he abstained on the wedding night because “he feared to become impotent”.
“Before Mr Mudungu declared a ban on conjugal rights on the wedding day, my grandfather had briefed me on the same matter and even warned of the consequences; so, I decided to abstain for only a day than becoming impotent for life,” Mr Muyinda said.
He added that on the royal wedding night, he slept in the kitchen to avoid any temptation or arousal by his wife. “Instead of sleeping separately on the floor, I slept in the kitchen alone, while my wife slept on the bed,” he added.
Mr Juma Balikowa, a resident of Kasedere Village, Namutumba Sub-county in Namutumba district, says he did not have any conjugal rights on Saturday night because he respects the Kyabazinga and culture of Busoga.
He says: “I slept on the bed with my wife, but we agreed not to have sex because we respect our Kyabazinga.”
Mr John Walugada, a resident of Ntalinga Village, Kizuba Sub-county also in Namutumba district, says he deliberately went against Mr Mudungu’s directive to see what would befall him.
“Nothing has so far happened to me, not even being attacked by spirits. Perhaps I will see the consequences in future, but as of now, I am okay,” he said.
Mr Jafari Nabongho, a resident of Itonko Village in Namutumba Town Council, says much as he knew that nothing was going to befall him if he had conjugal rights, he decided to abstain and spend the night praying for the royal couple.
However, a youth, who asked to only be identified as Dhizaala, said he set out to conjugal rights but it took him half an hour “to rise up to the occasion”, quickly fueling fear that the spirits had “killed” him.
Mr Julius Otai a clinical psychiatrist and chairperson Busoga Mental Health Workers Forum, says what befell the youth is more of a psychological effect, adding that people who try to test the norm or prove it a myth may actually have failed to perform because of mental phobia and anxiety which causes sexual dysfunction.
Mr Emmanuel Babalanda, the deputy Chief Prince (Isabalangira) of Bugabula chiefdom, however, says since this was a Christian wedding, cultural issues were overtaken by events and modernization.
According to Mr Babalanda, there was a need to respect and honour the Kyabazinga by not having two bulls in one kraal on a single night.
